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Kid X – Coming of Age

As a coming of age, Bonginkosi ‘Kid X’ Mahlangu’s debut album couldn’t be a more fitting tribute to his journey as an artist. Running the gauntlet of themes from his relationship with God, to navigating the glare of Jozi’s city lights, romantic endeavours, and the hurdles he’s had to overcome in his career, he says […]

The Plug 100: Most Influential People in SA Urban Culture

The Oxford Dictionary defines influence as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself”. Additionally, it can also be concluded that influence is “the power to shape policy or ensure favourable treatment from someone, especially through status, contacts, or wealth”. When we embarked […]

Top 10 Local MC’s Who Got Next

Words by Joey Drumz Very few genres require you to be on your toes and aware of yourself, and those around you, like Hip Hop. Everything can change in a matter of months and your current successes hold little weight with an audience whose overwhelming love for you today is equal only to their insatiable […]

The Business of Music – Publishing 101

Words by Mercia Tucker In early April 2018, a prominent Sunday newspaper ran a story with the headline “Gospel shocker: How black musicians got screwed”. The story purported to be an exposé on a ‘royalty pay-out scam’ involving gospel star Hlengiwe Mhlaba and the Southern African Music Rights Organisation, also known as SAMRO. While it […]

The Plug TV: Breaking Bread with 2 Lee Stark

In the 3rd episode of Breaking Bread we hang out with one of the hardest working young artists in the game. 2 Lee Stark is a Joburg-based rapper who is known for his standout hit “Off Boyz”.

A Journey Through Travis Scott’s Astroworld

Words by Joey Drumz It’d be easy to understand why people unfamiliar with Travis Scott’s career timeline would be curious about how the Houston-born rapper had garnered so much attention for the release of his 3rd studio album ASTROWORLD. But from as early as 2009, Trav has been slowly perfecting his now signature, dark-spacey sound […]

Nicki Minaj’s Queen – A Review

Words by Zee Ntloko It’s been 10 years since Nicki Minaj’s rapid accession into the upper echelons of rap. Over a decade she has carved out an almost impenetrable territory dominating with a vice-like grip on the charts. Contrary to popular belief, this was not a result of a lack of competition. We’ve had Iggy […]

Oppikoppi – Unrivalled Revelry

Words by Misa Narrates Pics by Shellingson Msomi Now that the Oppikoppi 2018 dust has settled, it is safe to reminisce on the debauchery, fun, and good time that we experienced in Northam Limpopo. What started as a music festival to celebrate and enjoy rock n’ roll music in 1994 has transformed into a far more […]

The Plug TV: Breaking Bread with Rouge

Breaking Bread / Season 1 / Episode 2 Rouge is a rapper that is succeeding on her own terms in a super macho SA hip hop industry. In an enlightening and in-depth interview, the thespian shares her come-up story, the challenges she’s faced and her future plans. ____________ The Plug TV is a collaboration between […]

Rouge: Raising The Bar

The love story isn’t a novel idea in the hip hop storytelling pantheon. Project Pat’s “Choose U” was one such tale of ‘hood love’; a woman choosing to move on from her relationship with her baby daddy, and supporting her new beau with her child support cheques. Pimp C was in prison when he heard […]

How Missy Elliott’s Music Videos Changed the Game

Words by Ziyanda Ntloko In just over a month from now MTV will present the 2018 Video Music Awards. The list of nominees for arguably music’s biggest night after the Grammys has already been announced and include the likes of The Carters, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Childish Gambino and Cardi B.  The VMA is awarded to […]

Album Review – Nasty C’s “Strings & Bling”

Words by Joey Drumz It would be hard to argue that there’s been a Hip Hop artist in recent memory that’s won over the hearts of South Africa and parts of the world at the rate and magnitude that Nasty C has done in 3 years. Since his early 2015 Price City Mixtaperelease, Nasty’s been […]